JP7148845B2 - Hot water system and external server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a hot water system configured for remote monitoring of water heaters.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a remote monitoring system for monitoring the presence or absence of an abnormality in a water heater and the operating status of the water heater via a communication network has been used for maintenance work of the water heater. When an abnormality occurs in the water heater, the remote monitoring system detects the occurrence of the abnormality, and a maintenance person is dispatched from the maintenance base in charge of the location of the water heater in which the abnormality has occurred. Further, it is known to use operating status information transmitted to a remote monitoring system, such as a device that generates proposal information for replacement or expansion of an air conditioner, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, for facility improvement.

The frequency of occurrence of anomalies in water heaters varies depending on operating conditions, installation environments, etc., and users of water heaters often decide whether to repair or replace the water heater when an abnormality occurs. For example, as in Patent Literature 2, by detecting the performance of parts and assessing the life expectancy of gas appliances, it is possible to obtain information for the determination.

In general, water heaters are guaranteed for one year by the manufacturer of the water heater from the time of new installation, and during this free warranty period, defects during normal use are dealt with free of charge. After the end of the free warranty period, if a contract for a paid warranty is concluded, defects, etc. will be dealt with at a fee determined in the warranty conditions. In particular, commercial water heaters are often contracted for remote monitoring and paid guarantees so as not to hinder business operations.

Japanese Patent No. 3857127 JP-A-2002-149865

At present, the fee for guaranteed compensation is uniformly set according to the model and configuration of the hot water heater, and the operation status of the hot water heater is not reflected. Therefore, the user of the water heater has little basis for judging the appropriateness of the charge, and especially the user who newly introduced the water heater has no basis for judging the necessity of the paid guarantee, so the contract for the paid guarantee is made. It is difficult to judge whether or not Moreover, it is difficult to apply the techniques of Patent Documents 1 and 2 for improving or replacing the device for this determination. In order to reflect the operating conditions and the like in the fee for the paid guarantee, for example, it is necessary for the person in charge of maintenance to aggregate the operating conditions and the like and set the fee for the paid guarantee, which is a heavy burden and not easy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a hot water system that can reduce the burden on a maintenance person for a paid warranty contract.

The invention of claim 1 is a hot water system comprising an external server and a water heater connected to the external server via a network. information and maintenance information on failure repair can be transmitted to the external server, and the external server transmits the hot water supply operation information and the maintenance information transmitted from the control means to the hot water supply apparatus for a fee. It is characterized by calculating the annual fee for the warranty.

According to the above configuration, the external server calculates the annual charge of the hot water heater warranty based on the hot water supply operation information and the maintenance information transmitted to the external server. Therefore, the maintenance staff of the hot water supply apparatus is relieved of the burden of calculating the guaranteed charge , and can easily provide the user of the hot water supply apparatus with an appropriate annual charge for the guaranteed charge .

According to the invention of claim 2, in the hot water system of the invention of claim 1, the external server collects hot water supply operation information and maintenance information transmitted during the free warranty period of the water heater, and based on the collected information is used to calculate the annual fee for the paid guarantee after the expiry of the free guarantee period.

According to the above configuration, the external server calculates the annual fee for the paid warranty after the free warranty period ends based on the hot water supply operation information and the maintenance information during the free warranty period of the water heater. Therefore, the maintenance staff of the water heater is relieved of the burden of calculating the chargeable guarantee fee, and can easily provide the user of the newly introduced water heater with an appropriate chargeable annual charge for the chargeable guarantee, thereby making a judgment about the chargeable guarantee. can provide.

According to the invention of claim 3, in the hot water system of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the external server transmits the calculated annual fee of the warranty for compensation and the basis for the compensation for compensation to the control means. The means is characterized by displaying the paid guarantee conditions on a display unit provided in an operation terminal of the water heater.

According to the above configuration, since the external server calculates the annual fee for the paid warranty and the charged warranty conditions including the grounds thereof , it is transmitted to the water heater, so that the appropriate charged warranty conditions corresponding to the water heater are provided to the user of the water heater. It can be provided quickly without going through the person in charge.

The invention of claim 4 is the hot water system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the water heater can be remotely monitored or remotely controlled from the mobile terminal of the user of the water heater via the external server. If possible, the external server is characterized by transmitting the calculated annual fee for the paid guarantee and the terms of the paid guarantee including the grounds thereof to the portable terminal.

According to the above configuration, since the annual fee for the paid guarantee calculated by the external server and the terms of the paid guarantee including the basis thereof are transmitted to the portable terminal of the user capable of remotely monitoring the hot water supply apparatus, an appropriate charge for the hot water supply apparatus can be obtained. It is possible to promptly provide the user of the hot water supply apparatus with a reasonable warranty condition without going through a maintenance person.

The external server according to the invention of claim 5 is characterized by being applied to the hot water system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the burden of calculating the warranty conditions.

According to the hot water system of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the person in charge of maintenance for the contract of the paid warranty.

It is a figure showing composition of a warm water system concerning an example of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the water heater which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the purification apparatus based on the Example of this invention. It is a flow chart of charge calculation of the paid guarantee according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the standard guarantee charge based on the Example of this invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated based on an Example.

As shown in FIG. 1, a hot water system 1 includes an external server 2 and a hot water heater 4 connected to the external server 2 via a network 3 such as an Internet line, and is installed in a public bath or the like. The external server 2 is a computer equipped with a CPU, a memory, a storage device, etc., although not shown, and collects and stores operating information in a remote monitoring system that monitors the operating status of the water heater 4 via the network 3. ,analyse. In addition to the water heater 4 , a plurality of remotely monitored water heaters are connected to the external server 2 via the network 3 . A mobile terminal SP such as a smart phone owned by the user of the water heater 4 can be connected to the network 3 via the mobile phone base station BS. A water heater program is installed that can be monitored or remotely controlled.

The hot water supply device 4 includes a plurality of (for example, three) water heaters 4a, 4b, and 4c connected in parallel, and a rotary operation of the plurality of water heaters 4a to 4c, and a coordinated operation according to the hot water supply usage status. It is composed of a system controller 5 (control means). The system controller 5 communicates with the external server 2 via the network 3, and is equipped with an operation terminal 5a connected to the system controller 5 for checking the operating conditions and making various settings. A display section 5b capable of displaying sentences and graphics is provided.

A water supply passage 11 extends from a water supply pipe 6 connected to a water supply source to a plurality of water heaters 4a to 4c, respectively, and a hot water supply passage 12 extending from the plurality of water heaters 4a to 4c respectively supplies hot water to a bathroom, etc. 7 is connected. The hot water supply pipe 7 is provided with a plurality of faucets 7a and showers 7b. For example, when hot water supply is started from a plurality of faucets 7a and the combustion amount of one water heater is insufficient, the system controller 5 causes the plurality of water heaters 4a to 4c to operate in cooperation to achieve the combustion amount necessary for hot water supply. The water heater 4 is controlled as follows.

A pouring passage 7d having a supplementary water unit 7c is branched from the hot water supply pipe 7 in order to pour hot water into a bathtub 8 installed in a bathhouse. A water level sensor 8a of a pressure detection type is provided in the bathtub 8, and a replenishing water unit 7c opens and closes the pouring passage 7d so that the bathtub 8 reaches a predetermined water level.

Next, the plurality of water heaters 4a to 4c constituting the water heater 4 will be described. Since the plurality of water heaters 4a to 4c have the same configuration, the water heater 4a will be described first, and the other water heaters 4b and 4c will be described. is omitted.
As shown in FIG. 2, the water heater 4a is a gas water heater that heats hot water using combustion heat of fuel gas. a burner 13, a heat exchanger 14 for heating tap water by exchanging heat with combustion gas generated by combustion of the burner 13, a neutralizer 15, a control section 16 for controlling the amount of combustion, and the like.

The heat exchanger 14 has a primary heat exchanger 14a that recovers the sensible heat of the combustion gas to heat the tap water and a secondary heat exchanger 14b that recovers the latent heat of the combustion gas to heat the tap water. The water supply passage 11 for supplying tap water is connected to the secondary heat exchanger 14b, the hot water supply passage 12 is connected to the primary heat exchanger 14a, and the primary heat exchanger 14a and the secondary heat exchanger 14b are connected to the intermediate passage 14c. are connected to form the heat exchanger 14 .

After completing the heat exchange in the heat exchanger 14, the combustion gas is exhausted to the outside of the water heater 4a. Part of the water vapor contained in the combustion gas is condensed in the secondary heat exchanger 14b to become acidic drain water. Drain water is collected in the drain pan 14d, flows into the neutralizer 15, is neutralized in the neutralizer 15, and is discharged to the outside.

The water supply passage 11 is provided with a distribution valve 18 capable of adjusting a distribution ratio for supplying clean water to the heat exchanger 14 and also supplying clean water to a bypass passage 17 bypassing the heat exchanger 14 . ing. A water supply temperature sensor 11a is provided in the water supply passage 11 to detect the temperature of tap water.

The hot water supply passage 12 mixes the hot water heated by the heat exchanger 14 with the tap water of the bypass passage 17 to supply the hot water to the hot water supply pipe 7 . The hot water supply passage 12 is provided with a hot water supply temperature sensor 12a for detecting the temperature of the temperature-controlled hot water and a flow rate sensor 12b for detecting the flow rate.

The control unit 16 controls the hot water supply operation of the water heater 4a. For example, according to the hot water supply target temperature set by the system controller 5, the combustion amount of the burner 13 and the distribution ratio of the distribution valve 18 are adjusted based on the detection signals of sensors such as the water supply temperature sensor 11a, and the hot water supply target temperature is adjusted. supply hot water. When an abnormality such as a failure occurs in the water heater 4 a , the control unit 16 transmits the abnormality occurrence information to the system controller 5 .

The system controller 5 that has received the abnormality occurrence information from the control unit 16 transmits the abnormality occurrence information to the external server 2 . The external server 2 transmits the abnormality occurrence information via the network 3 to the maintenance base in charge of the location of the hot water supply device 4 that transmitted the abnormality occurrence information. Then, the person in charge of maintenance deals with failure repair or the like based on the received abnormality occurrence information.

The control unit 16 also provides hot water supply operation information including the combustion time, the number of times of combustion, and the amount of combustion of the burner 13 in the hot water supply operation, and the information ( maintenance information) to the system controller 5. The system controller 5 transmits to the external server 2 the hot water supply operation information and the maintenance information received from the water heaters 4a, 4b and 4c. The external server 2 stores the hot water supply operation information and maintenance information received from the system controller 5 . The maintenance information may be input to the external server 2 by a person in charge of maintenance.

Next, a circulation system 9 for circulating hot water in the bathtub 8 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the circulation system 9 includes a bathtub 8, a purification device 21, a drug unit 22, a bath heat source 23, a bath return passage 24a and a bath going passage 24b connecting the bathtub 8 and the purification device 21, and a purification It is composed of a heat source machine forward passage 25a and a heat source machine return passage 25b that connect the device 21 and the bath heat source machine 23 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the purifier 21 includes a passage portion 21a connecting the bath return passage 24a to the heat source machine forward passage 25a, a filter 21b, a circulation pump 21c for circulating hot water in the bathtub 8, a bathtub 8 A filtration tank 21d for removing impurities contained in hot water is provided, and a medicine passage 22a extending from the medicine unit 22 is connected. Further, a passage portion 21e connecting the heat source machine return passage 25b to the bath going passage 24b, a circulation control portion 21f for controlling the circulation operation, and the like are provided.

The drug unit 22 includes a drug container 22b containing a drug (chlorine, etc.) for sterilizing Legionella bacteria, E. coli, etc. contained in the hot water of the bathtub 8, and a drug valve for supplying the drug based on a command from the circulation control unit 21f. 22c and the like. During the circulating operation, the chemical is supplied from the chemical passage 22a to the passage portion 21a so that the concentration of chlorine in the hot water of the bathtub 8 satisfies the standard set by the ordinance or the like. Although not shown, the drug unit 22 is provided with a measuring device for measuring the amount of drug supplied or the remaining amount of drug, and the measured value is sent to the circulation control section 21f.

The circulation control unit 21f is communicably connected to the supplementary water unit 7c, and acquires the water level of the bathtub 8 detected by the water level sensor 8a via the supplementary water unit 7c. For example, when the water level in the bathtub 8 exceeds a predetermined value, the circulation control unit 21f drives the circulation pump 21c constantly or intermittently at predetermined time intervals to circulate the hot water in the bathtub 8. A device 21 purifies hot water in a bathtub 8 to maintain a clean state.

The bath heat source device 23 is, for example, a combustion type heat source device having the same configuration as the water heater 4a shown in FIG. One corresponds to the heat source machine return passage 25b, and the one corresponding to the water supply temperature sensor 11a is the bathtub temperature sensor 8b. The bath heat source device 23 includes a control unit 23a, a burner 23b, a heat exchanger 23c for recovering sensible heat and latent heat of combustion gas, a neutralizer 23d, and the like. 21f is communicatively connected.

When the bathtub temperature sensor 8b detects that the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 8 has dropped below a predetermined temperature during the circulation operation, the burner 23b of the bath heat source device 23 is ignited and burned, and the hot water in the bathtub 8 is circulated by the heat exchanger 23c. to heat. When the bathtub temperature sensor 8b detects that the temperature of hot water in the bathtub 8 has reached or exceeded a predetermined temperature, the combustion of the burner 23b is stopped. While the hot water in the bathtub 8 is circulating in this manner, the temperature of the hot water in the bathtub 8 is maintained by repeatedly starting and stopping the combustion of the burner 23b. When an abnormality such as a failure occurs in the circulation system 9, the circulation control unit 21f transmits information on the occurrence of the abnormality to the system controller 5, and the maintenance personnel can perform repairs, etc., in the same manner as in the case of an abnormality in the water heater 4. receive response.

The circulation control unit 21f also controls the total time of circulation operation (circulation time), the number of times of circulation operation (circulation number), the combustion time and number of times of combustion of the burner 23b of the bath heat source device 23, the chemical supply amount of the chemical unit 22, etc. , and the circulation maintenance information input when the person in charge of maintenance performed a repair or the like is sent to the system controller 5 . The system controller 5 transmits the received circulation operation information and circulation maintenance information to the external server 2 . The external server 2 stores the circulation operation information and circulation maintenance information received from the system controller 5 . The circulation maintenance information may be input to the external server 2 by a person in charge of maintenance.

Next, remote monitoring, free warranty, and paid warranty after the end of the free warranty period will be explained.
Remote monitoring constantly monitors the hot water supply device 4 and the like and notifies the maintenance base of any abnormalities. The free warranty basically does not incur costs for maintenance personnel except for costs related to expendable parts such as the neutralizer 15 for one year after the introduction of the water heater 4 and the like. With the paid warranty, by paying a predetermined fee at the time of the warranty contract, basically no maintenance staff will be charged after the free warranty period ends, except for the cost of consumable parts such as the neutralizer 15. . This paid guarantee contract is renewed every year, but it is also possible to contract for multiple years.

Next, regarding the calculation of the warranty conditions of the paid warranty, the calculation of the charge for the next one year after the end of the free or paid warranty period of the hot water supply device 4 will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. Si (i=1, 2, . . . ) in the figure represents steps.
In S1, the external server 2 collects and stores hot water supply operation information, and proceeds to S2. In S2, it is determined whether it is one month before the end of the free warranty period or one month before the end of the paid warranty period. If the determination is Yes, the process proceeds to S3, and if the determination is No, the process returns to S1.

Next, in S3, the external server 2 calculates the charge for the next one-year paid guarantee based on the stored hot water supply operation information, and proceeds to S4. For example, the standard warranty set for the standard combustion time and number of combustions for one year assumed by the water heater manufacturer based on the hot water supply operation information for the past 11 months of the water heater 4 during the free warranty period. From the charge, the charge increased or decreased according to the combustion time and the number of times of combustion of the water heater 4 is calculated as the charged guarantee charge for the next one year after the end of the free guarantee period. The same applies to the charge for the next one-year warranty after the expiration of the warranty period.

The fee P for the paid guarantee of the water heater 4 is, for example, the standard combustion time Ts and the standard number of times of combustion Cs for one year assumed by the water heater maker in the configuration of the water heater 4 (configuration of three water heaters), Calculated based on the following formula (1) using the standard warranty rate P3 preset by the water heater manufacturer, the elapsed rate α of the warranty period, and the combustion time Ta and the number of times of combustion Ca of the burner 13 included in the stored hot water supply operation information. do.
P=P3×(Ta/Ts+Ca/Cs)×1/2×1/α (1)
The standard guarantee charge is set according to the number of water heaters that constitute the water heater (see FIG. 5). The elapsed rate α is expressed in units of months. For example, if the warranty period has passed for 11 months, α=11/12, and changes depending on the time of calculation. Note that the elapsed rate α may be expressed in units of days.

If there is maintenance information for the water heater 4, for example, a correction term due to maintenance represented by (Ws×M) is added to the equation (1) based on the number of times of maintenance M and the standard on-site work cost Ws set by the manufacturer of the water heater. Accordingly, the charge P in the formula (1) is corrected.

Next, in S<b>4 , the external server 2 determines whether remote monitoring or remote control of the water heater 4 is possible from the portable terminal SP of the user of the water heater 4 via the external server 2 . For example, if the external server 2 has a history of remote monitoring or remote control from the mobile terminal SP, it can be found that a water heater program capable of remote monitoring or remote control has been installed in the mobile terminal SP. If the determination is YES, the procedure proceeds to S5, and the charged guarantee conditions including the charge for the charged guarantee calculated in S3 and the hot water supply operation information etc. on which the charges are based are transmitted to the mobile terminal SP of the user of the hot water supply device 4, and sent to S6. move on. The user of the hot water supply device 4 can confirm the paid guarantee conditions via the hot water supply device program of the mobile terminal SP. If the determination is No, the process proceeds to S6.

Next, in S6, the fee for the guaranteed fee calculated in S3 and the conditions for the guaranteed fee calculated in S3, including the hot water supply operation information and the like, are sent to the system controller 5 of the water heater 4, and the process proceeds to S7. The system controller 5 informs the user of the hot water supply apparatus 4 of the received warranty conditions by displaying them on the display unit 5b of the operation terminal 5a, and requests the user to select whether he/she desires the paid warranty. It should be noted that the selection of paid guarantee may also be performed from the portable terminal SP into which the water heater program is installed.

Next, in S7, it is determined whether or not the user of the water heater 4 desires paid warranty. If the system controller 5 transmits to the external server 2 that the user has selected the desired warranty by operating the operation terminal 5a and the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S8, where the maintenance person of the water heater 4 is sent from the external server 2. Or, send a request for paid warranty to the maintenance base in charge and return. If the system controller 5 transmits to the external server 2 that the user has made a selection not to request the paid warranty by operating the operation terminal 5a, or if the selection operation has not been performed until the end of the warranty period, and the determination is No, Proceeding to S9, the external server 2 transmits to the person in charge of maintenance of the hot water supply device 4 or the maintenance base in charge that the paid guarantee is not desired, and returns. The person in charge of maintenance negotiates a contract with the user of the water heater 4 in response to a request for a paid guarantee. The maintenance staff may access the external server 2 and acquire the fact that he or she desires a paid guarantee.

In general, the longer the combustion time is, the more the wear of the burner 13 and the deterioration of the heat exchanger 14 due to scale adhesion progresses. becomes larger. Reflecting this, in formula (1), the standard guarantee charge is increased by the amount exceeding the standard combustion time and number of combustions, and on the contrary, the shorter the combustion time than the standard combustion time, the more the number of combustions is standard. The lower the number of combustions than the typical number of times, the lower the standard guarantee charge. Note that the charge for the guarantee for payment may be calculated based on the hot water supply operation information for the entire past period of the water heater 4. may be increased or decreased.

As with the hot water supply device 4, it is possible to calculate the charged guarantee charge for the circulation system 9 based on the combustion time of the burner 23b, etc. It is also possible to calculate the fee for the warranty. Also, the charge for the guarantee with charge may be calculated based on the usage time of parts other than the burners 13 and 23b, or the charge for the guarantee with charge may be calculated based on the hot water supply operation time and the circulating operation time.

As described above, the user of the hot water supply apparatus 4 can quickly obtain the paid warranty conditions without going through the person in charge of maintenance, and can examine the contents thereof. On the other hand, the burden of calculating the warranty conditions for a fee will be reduced for the maintenance staff, and it will be easier for them to recommend a contract for a warranty for a fee. Note that the maintenance staff may acquire the paid warranty conditions of the water heater 4 from the external server 2 and inform the user of the water heater 4 .

The action and effects of the present invention will be described.
Based on the hot water supply operation information and maintenance information transmitted to the external server 2 , the external server 2 calculates the annual fee for the paid guarantee of the hot water heater 4 . Therefore, the maintenance staff of the hot water supply apparatus 4 is relieved of the burden of calculating the paid guarantee charge, etc., and it is possible to easily provide the user of the hot water supply apparatus 4 with an appropriate paid guarantee annual charge .

In addition, the external server 2 calculates the annual charge for the guaranteed warranty after the free warranty period of the hot water heater 4 expires based on the hot water supply operation information and the maintenance information during the free warranty period of the hot water heater 4 . Therefore, the maintenance staff of the hot water heater 4 is relieved of the burden of calculating the charged warranty fee, and the user of the hot water heater 4 is provided with an appropriate charged warranty annual fee according to the hot water heater 4, and the charged warranty is calculated. can provide information for making decisions.

The paid guarantee conditions including the annual fee for the paid guarantee calculated by the external server 2 and the grounds for the fee are sent to the operation terminal 5a of the water heater 4 or the mobile phone of the user of the water heater 4 capable of remote monitoring or the like via the external server 2. Since the information can be sent from the terminal SP, it is possible to promptly provide the user of the hot water supply apparatus with appropriate paid warranty conditions corresponding to the hot water supply apparatus 4 without going through a maintenance person. Therefore, the user of the hot water supply apparatus 4 can consider the chargeable warranty before a maintenance person or the like visits to explain the chargeable warranty and make a contract.

In addition, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications to the above embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the present invention includes such modifications.

1: hot water system 2: external server 3: network 4: water heaters 4a to 4c: water heater 5: system controller (control means)
5a: operation terminal 5b: display unit 8: bathtub 9: circulation system 13, 23b: burners 14, 23c: heat exchangers 15, 23d: neutralizers 16, 23a: control unit 21: purification device 21f: circulation control unit 22 : Medicine unit 23 : Bath heat source BS : Mobile phone base station SP : Mobile terminal

Claims (5)

In a hot water system comprising an external server and a water heater connected to the external server via a network,
The water heater comprises control means configured to be capable of transmitting to the external server hot water supply operation information including the combustion time and the number of times of combustion of the water heater and maintenance information regarding failure repair,
The hot water system, wherein the external server calculates an annual fee for a paid guarantee related to the hot water heater based on the hot water supply operation information and the maintenance information transmitted from the control means. The external server collects the hot water supply operation information and maintenance information transmitted during the free warranty period of the water heater, and calculates the annual fee for the paid warranty after the free warranty period ends based on the collected information. The hot water system according to claim 1, characterized by: The external server transmits the calculated annual fee for the paid guarantee and the terms of the paid guarantee including the grounds thereof to the control means. 3. The hot water system according to claim 1, wherein conditions are displayed. When the water heater can be remotely monitored or remotely controlled from the mobile terminal of the user of the water heater via the external server, the external server sends the calculated annual fee for the paid guarantee to the mobile terminal. 4. The hot water system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the charged warranty conditions including the grounds are transmitted. An external server applied to the hot water system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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